Fixture



1949 w. w. HARGRETT ET AL 2,491,559

FIXTURE Filed April 10, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TORS 1949 w. w. HARGRETT ET AL 2,491,559

' FIXTURE 7 Filed pril 10, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FIXTURE Mich., a firm Application April 10, 1947, Serial No. 740,644

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fixtures for holding work-pieces for drilling, tapping, milling, grinding and sundry other operations. It is an object of the invention to provide such a fixture including an anvil and a movable button for holding a workpiece between them wherein the length of movement imparted to the button is constant though adjustment may be easily and quickly made so that there is any required distance between the button and the anvil after advancement of the former toward the latter. In this manner we aim to provide a fixture which may be quickly set to hold workpieces or different widths without resorting to feed screws for advancing or withdrawing the button toward or from the anvil.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a fixture including a cam rotatable through '90 degrees for advancing the button toward the anvil, spring means for moving the button away from the anvil as the cam is rotated through another 90 degrees, and wherein the cam is so shaped that pressure exerted against it by the spring does not impart any rotary movement thereto so that there is no fear of the button accidentally moving away from the anvil while a workpiece is held between them.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a fixture wherein both the anvil and the button are readily adjustable about their axes so that the face of a workpiece to be machined may be supported at any desired inclination.

Having thus briefly and broadly stated some of the objects and advantages of the invention, we will now describe a preferred embodiment thereof with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a plan view of the invention,

Figure 2 is a side View thereof, and

Figure 3 is an end view.

Figures 4, and 6 are sections on the line 4-4, 5-5 and 6-4 respectively of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a section on the line '!-T of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a detail plan view showing a horizontally supported workpiece one extremity of which bears against an adjustable stop plate, and

Figure 9 is an end view thereof.

Figure 10 shows a workpiece of square 'section held between the anvil and the button, the form 2 of the work engaging face of the latter being somewhat changed, and

Figure 11 shows a hexagonal workpiece similarly supported with the work engaging face of the anvil of difierent form to that shown in Figures 1 and 10.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a base having two spaced, aligned bearings 2 and 3 integral therewith. One side of the bearing 2 is preferably split at 4 and extending through the split portion and in threaded engagement with the main part of the bearing are screws 5 so that when the latter are tightened a housing 6 extending through the said bearing and projecting be- F yond both extremities thereof is held immovable.

The housing 6 has an enlarged end I at its extremity remote from the bearing 3, and formed radially through the said enlarged end is an opening 8. Mounted for rotation in the latter is a cam shaft 9 which is held against axial movement by a pin in projecting into the enlarged end I and across an annular groove ll formed in the said shaft. The housing 6 is tubular from its extremity adjacent the bearing 3 for the major :portion of its length so that one side of a cam l2 formed on the cam shaft 9 extends across the inner extremity of the bore of the housing.

Mounted for axial movement in the bore of the housing 6 is a spindle I3 which at all times projects forwardly from the said housing toward the bearing 3, and terminates at its opposite extremity in a projection l4 of reduced diameter which bears against the cam 12. The spindle I3 is also bored from its extremity adjacent the bearing 3 and has a helical spring l5 therein one end of which bears against the inner extremity of the spindle bore while its opposite extremity rests against a pin l6 secured in opposite sides of the tubular portion of the housing 6 and extending through opposed longitudinal slots I! formed through opposite sides of the tubular portion of the spindle.

The cam 12 has a fiat face I 2a on one side which is centrally disposed between two diametrically opposed arcuate rises l2b of substantially the same diameter as that of the shaft 9. When the" latter is so turned that the projection It bears against one of the rises l2b the spindle i3 is pushed forward and the spring I5 is compressed; however due to the length and curvature of these 3 rises Hi) there is no tendency for the shaft 9 and its cam l2 to turn under pressure of the spring so the spindle remains stationary in its forward or outwardly projecting position. As the shaft 9 and cam [2 are turned so that the fiat face lid is brought behind the projection M the spindle I3 is moved rearwardly by the spring and consequently the said projection remains-at all times in contact with the cam l2.

Extending radially through the spindle l3 adjacent its tubular extremity is a set screw it which engages the shank l9a of a button l9, and extendin through the bearing 3 in axial alignment with the spindle I3 is an opening 2!] in which the shank 2| a of an anvil 2| is supported. The anvil 2| is held immovable in the bearing 3 in the present instance by a screw 22 which engages a threaded opening 23 formed in; the shank 2 la from its outer extremity; a washer 24 through which the screw 22 extends rests against the outer face of the bearing 3. The anvil 2! is usually provided with a V-shaped slot therein as shown to receive one side of a workpiece A to be held immovable between it and the movable button it.

The latter is usually V-shaped at its front extremity to extend into the slot in the anvil 2i and grip a workpiece, though the V-shaped extremity of the button may be indented as shown at is! in Figures 10 and 11 to engage one corner of a; multisided workpiece. -By loosening the screws l8 and 22 the button I9 and anvil 2! respectively may be turned to support a workpiece A which extends either horizontally as shown in Fi ures 8 and 9, or-vertically as shown in Figures 1 and 2,or atany other desired inclination.

Extending upwardly from the base l and in threaded engagement therewith is a stop 25 be neath the block 21 to Support the lower extremity of the workpiece. Thusby rotating the stop the distance between its upper face and the axis of the anvil may be adjusted, and by tightening a lock nut 26 in threaded engagement with the stop 25; against; the top of the base i the stop may be secured against accidental movement. Formed; horizontally through the bearing 3 is an opening 21 having a rod 28, axially slidable therein, and 29; denotes a set screw in threaded engagement with thesaid bearing and projecting into the opening 27 to hold the rod 28 immovable. Integral with the outer extremity of the rod 28 is a stop plate 36 which extends at right angles thereto and may be employed for setting a;hori-; zontal workpiece A so that one extremity of the latter projects a predetermined distance from the button is and anvil 2I between which it is held. 1

In order, to facilitate rotation of the cam shaft 9 under various operating conditions a plurality of openings 31 angularly disposed to one another are formed through the said shaft to receive a lever 32. The latter is inserted through onev of these openings and is then held against axial movement by a screw 33 in engagement with a tapped hole 34 extending axially into the cam shaft 9 from its outer extremity.

' The. operation of the fixtureis as'follows: The screws 5 are loosened to permit axia1 movement of the housing 6. which is then adjusted'to. provide such spacing between the button i9 and the anvil 2| that the workpiece A will be securely held between them when'the projection I4 is in contact with one of the cam rises l2b, that is when the spindle I3 is in its forward positiom Then the screws 5 are tightened and the cam shaft 9 is turned through 90..degree's so that the 4 spindle I3 is moved rearwardly by the spring I! and the projection l4 brought into contact with the flat cam face l2a. However before tightening the screws 5 the housing 6 may also be rotarily set so that the button is inclined at any desired inclination, instead of making rotary adjustment by turning the shank I9a in the spindle 13. The anvil 2| is then turned to a corresponding rotary position after first loosening the screw Either the stop 25 or the stop plate 30 may then be adjusted-so that one extremity ofa workpiece bears against it when the-said workpiece is properly positioned for performance of an operation thereon.

The bearing face He of the cam is disposed at right angles to the rises [2b and both the face and the rises are so formed that there is no tendency for the cam to be rotated by pressure exerted by the projection l4 against it. The cam shaft may be turned in either direction to disengage the workpiece, and, due to the provision of a plurality of angular openings through the cam shaft for the lever 32 the latter may be so arranged that it projects in any one of several different directions either when the workpiece is engaged or disengaged. Thusv the path followed bythef lever "may be readily arranged to clear. anyv projections on the: workpiece.

While in the. foregoing the preferred embodiment of the. invention'has been described and shown, it is understoodr that alterations and modifications falling within the scope of the claims may be-made thereto.

What we claim I I 1. Afixture including. a base having a bearing thereon, a housing tubularfrom one extremity axially adjustable through the bearing, means for holding the housing immov'able-in'the'bearing, a spindle axially. movable in the housing and projecting outwardly beyond-the tubular'extremity of the latter, a cam shaft rotatably mountedin the housing, a cam 'on said shaftadapted to engage the extremity of the spindle remote from itsoutwardl-y projecting extremity and move it outwardly'through the housing, said spindle being tubular from its outwardly projecting extremity for a portion ofits-le'ngth, the tubular spindle portion having opposed slots therethrough intermediately of its length, a pin transverselymounted' in the. housing and extending through the slots to permit'axial movement of the spindle, a spring in the tubular portion of-the spindle extending between the: pin and the baseof said tubular portion to retain the-spindle against the cam, a button on the tubulanextremity of the spindle, and an anvil supported on the-base oppositev the button between whichand said-button a workpiece is adapted to be held.

2. A fixture including/a base having a bearing thereon, a housing: tubular from one. extremity adjustable bothaxially and rotatably through the bearing, means for holding the housing immovable in 'thebearing, a spindle axially movable in the housing and projecting outwardly beyond the tubular extremity of 'theklatter, a cam shaft rotatablyzmounted in'the housing, means holding said shaft against axial movement, a cam on said shaft in engagement with, the extremity of the spindle: remote. from its outwardly projecting extremity adapted to move. said spindle outwardly through-the housing, said spindle being tubular from its outwardly projecting extremity for a portion of its length, the tubularspindleportion having opposed slots therethrough; intermediately of its length-a:pintransversely: mounted in the 6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fiddyment Dec. 6, 1938 Hadley Nov. 26, 1946 Moore Feb. 4, 1947 

